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- Buenos Aires Cathedral
The main Catholic temple of Argentina - Buenos Aires Cathedral is located on the corner of San Martín and Rivardavia streets, which is very symbolic, since both José de San Martín and Bernardino Rivadavia not only left their mark on the history of Argentina, but were also directly connected with the cathedral. It is here that the tomb of the national hero General San Martin, created by the French sculptor Bellez in 1880, is located. And the cathedral acquired its present form, in the style of French neoclassicism, largely thanks to the efforts of the first president of independent Argentina, Bernardino Rivadavia.
It should be noted that the place where the Buenos Aires Cathedral is located today was reserved for the main church of the city back in the act of its foundation on June 11, 1580. Initially, it was the Church of the Holy Trinity, subordinate to the diocese of Rio de la Plata, with its center in the city of Asuncion. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, a modest wooden building was demolished by order of the then governor, and a new one, but also a wooden one, was built in its place. A few years later, the structure began to collapse, and the main church of the parish was moved to the church of St. Francis. While projects to rebuild the church were being selected and funds were being raised for this, the building finally collapsed.
Meanwhile, in Madrid and Rome, the creation of the Buenos Aires diocese was completed, and the church of the Holy Trinity was named the cathedral. When the bishop of Buenos Aires arrived in Argentina, he noted that the cathedral was in very poor condition, so he decided to build a new temple with three naves and a bell tower. The bishop requested material assistance from the king and received money for construction from the royal treasury. In 1671, the cathedral was built. But due to the poor quality of building materials, after seven years the temple began to collapse. In 1680, reconstruction began, while the roof leaned in the temple, the altar and bell tower collapsed. Therefore, the money allocated by the king for repairs was only enough for a new roof and partial repairs. In the evening of May 23, 1752, part of the temple collapsed suddenly, and the next morning the naves collapsed. Therefore, it was decided to demolish the remains of the walls and build a new large church anew, starting with the foundation. According to the plan, the temple was to be in the shape of a Latin cross with three naves and six chapels. Construction lasted 38 years and was completed in 1791. After Argentina gained independence, President Bernardino Rivadavia made every effort to complete the work in the cathedral. A facade was erected in the image of the Bourbon Palace in Paris, twelve columns of the Corinthian order were installed, which symbolized the 12 apostles. In 1862, the columns were restored and sculptures were installed. In the mid-twentieth century, the Cathedral of Buenos Aires was recognized as a historical monument, and in the end there was a large-scale reconstruction of the temple. The interior of the modern cathedral is truly impressive: the floor is decorated with a Venetian mosaic, 14 paintings by Italian Francesco Domenigini, depicting the procession, are hung on the walls, and the tomb of Archbishop Leon Federico Aneiros by Victor de Paul is in the left wing.
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